Arrange the following words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary.
1. determine, 2. detective, 3. determined, 4. develop
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → 2134
In a dictionary, words are compared letter by letter from the left; the first place where two words differ decides which comes first. When a whole word is the beginning of a longer word, the shorter word comes first.
All four words begin with de; the third letters are t (determine, detective, determined) and v (develop), so develop is last
Among the dete- words, the fifth letters are c (detective) and r (determine, determined), so detective comes first
determine is the beginning of determined, so determine comes before determined
Order: detective (2), determine (1), determined (3), develop (4)
The sequence is 2134.